Culture Shock

Twin Cities

What would Santa Fe be without art? While that may sound like a dream come true for some, it's not just the kitschy stuff we'd lose. Santa Fe is an international center for Native American art, both traditional and modern. Every year, 100,000 people or so converge on our capital for the Santa Fe Indian Market to see some of the best Native art in the world. Saturday, Aug. 22, and Sunday, Aug. 23, will feature film, sculpture, jewelry, painting and more. The market proper goes from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the plaza on both days, but there's a phenomenal amount of other activities to experience and sights to see. For more, visit swaia.org. And if you don't want to drive, which I suggest you don't, the Rail Runner has announced a special Sunday service for that weekend. That was nice of them.

Now, some people get irked when I talk about Santa Fe, saying there's plenty of art to be seen here. And they're right, usually. But my greater allegiance is not to a city but to Art, capital “A,” the sublime. Pretentious? Definitely, and I'm OK with that. Which is why I have no qualms about directing you to another Santa Fe event—the opening reception for Michael Bergt's Unorthodox Series at Jane Sauer Gallery (652 Canyon Road). His paintings employ an old method called egg tempera. The effect is reminiscent of European portraiture but with a modern streak. The Friday, Aug. 21 opening is from 5 to 8 p.m., but you can catch the show through Sept. 22. See jsauergallery.com for more.

But don't get me wrong. My heart belongs to Albuquerque. Sometimes I wish I knew how to quit Dirt City because, let's face it, ours has been a tumultuous relationship. We just can't let each other go. All I want to do is see it continue to improve itself, maybe work on its manners a bit. If you're also invested in what Albuquerque becomes, be sure to attend the Arts Alliance's Mayoral Forum at the VSA N4th Art Center (4904 Fourth Street NW) on Tuesday, Aug. 25, at 6 p.m. All three candidates (Richard “R.J.” Berry, Martin Chavez and Richard Romero) will be answering questions about the arts in Albuquerque. I'll be the official timer, because if there's one thing Burque could work on, it's punctuality.

The Haiku Contest’s Aug. 28 deadline is creeping closer. See the ad in this week's paper for categories, then e-mail your lines to haiku@alibi.com or tweet #alibihaiku. So many prizes will be sad if you don't win them.

Brazilian designer and photographer Paulo P. Lima, Ph.D. debuts his first national exhibition including a number of photographed images and dressed figurines that feature elements of the Afro-Brazilian religion Candomblé.